View: Aston Villa must track elusive James Maddison in Leicester Premier League clash
Aston Villa now have over a week to prepare for their next Premier League game against Leicester City after their FA Cup third-round humiliation to Stevenage.
The extended break will allow Unai Emery to get to work with the players on the training ground and ensure he gets more of his key principles implemented. The game against the Foxes provides the Villans with the opportunity to close the gap on the top half of the Premier League and continue their impressive form under their new manager.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have endured an up-and-down campaign. The former Celtic boss appeared to be on the brink of the sack in the East Midlands before a good run of form propelled his side up the table. However, another bad spell has seen questions yet again emerge when it comes to the 50-year-old’s future.
Nevertheless, the Foxes still have some of the league’s better players in their ranks and there are still plenty of ways they will be able to cause Aston Villa problems.
The obvious threat who will need to be dealt with is James Maddison, who returned to action in the Foxes’ 2-2 draw against Brighton. The 26-year-old attacking midfielder has been Leicester’s standout performer in the 2022/23 campaign and currently has nine goals and assists to his name.
We know the England international is known for being a creative player, but this season has been all about finding the back of the net. He’s capable of a spectacular strike and also able to make clever late runs into the box.
In Leicester’s 2-0 win over West Ham, his first goal came from Maddison making an illusive late run which was not picked up by the Hammers’ midfield duo of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
He runs onto the ball and displays his excellent finishing ability to give his side the lead. In the 2022/23 campaign, his ability to finish with both feet in a consistent manner has been hugely impressive.
When Villa take on Leicester, Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara must ensure they track the 26-year-old’s late runs into the box to prevent Maddison from having clear-cut shooting opportunities.
What makes Maddison so hard to deal with is his eagerness to play high up alongside Leicester’s frontmen, which can lead to him avoiding the attention of deeper-lying midfielders. In the defeat against Tottenham, he is essentially playing as Leicester’s number nine.
This season the 26-year-old has taken his finishing to another level, particularly with first-time shots. It’s absolutely essential for the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Luiz and Kamara to get as tight as possible.
Eric Dier is in a relatively good position in the image above but somehow Maddison still manages to guide a superb strike into the top left-hand corner. He’s also a big threat from set-pieces and it’s essential Villa don’t give away any cheap free-kicks in and around their box.
Leicester have been on a poor run of form and Villa have been flying – the last thing Emery will want is for his side to give the Foxes a leg-up in the game due to a piece of quality from a dead-ball scenario. There’s a big chance for Villa to really dominate against Rodgers’ team, but ensuring Maddison is marshalled well has to be at the top of the Villa boss’ priorities.
In other Aston Villa news, a 17-year-old academy prospect has signed his first professional contract with the club.